An Essential Guide to New-Wave Fruit Snacks

Lest you begin to mock fruit snacks as somehow unworthy of your munchies habits, don't forget that fruit is nature’s dessert. It was, after all, found in The Garden before cakes, ice cream, and candies. And it sure as hell wasn't a Snickers bar that came to represent desirability in biblical lore.

Some of us are still holding out for the day when natural Sour Patch Kids will fill concession stands, but until then, let’s shed some light on the ambitious manufacturers that are all about that real fruit.

Here, the Snack Gawd reveals his fruit bangers of the month.

Mikaela's Lemon Biscotti Cookies

Photo by Andy Hur

Price: $5.50

Why you need it: The Snack Gawd is relatively "meh" when it comes to biscotti, but flatten the cookie out and add some Meyer-lemon icing and “meh” evolves into “eureka!" Mikaela’s has clearly realized the limitation of the biscotti/mandel bread (essentially the Jewish version) cookie variety. While great with coffee or tea for dunking, biscotti serves better as a beverage accompaniment since it's a typically dry, thick cookie base (there’s a reason the Heebs called it “bread”) that is often close to choking-hazard territory when sampled sans sipper. With Mikaela’s you can leave your Heimlich training at home—the biscotti element has been transformed into a thin, wafer-esque cookie that crumbles upon nibble. The Meyer-lemon icing on top lends a sweet citrusy note.

Bissinger's Blueberry Acai Gummy Pandas

Price: $5.50

Why you need it: Bissinger’s is widely known in the Midwest for its fine chocolates, but since I’m not a Midwesterner, the gummy pandas were my intro. Trying all six varieties is a #snackgoal, but they’re sold separately in decent-sized pouches, forcing a decision to be made on initial purchase. (Note to Bissinger’s: Please consider selling a Gummy Panda mix with all six flavors). As luck—or laser-sharp Snack Gawd decisiveness—would have it, their blueberry açaí flavor is a low-stakes win; finishing a bag is light work. The açaí flavor is not distinct enough to distinguish from the blueberry, but fret not when the result is a gummy mammal with the perfect texture (not too firm, not too soft) and a taste that makes you wonder why you were sleeping on Bissinger’s gummy pandas until now.

Nature Addicts Apple Mango Passion Fruit Sticks

Price: $4.00

Why you need it:As previously mentioned, there’s no shame in the Snack Gawd’s game when it comes to exploring treats geared towards the elementary school set. Nature Addicts Apple Mango Passion Fruit Sticks transcend generational gaps with their well-balanced tangy flavor combo. The fruit sticks are like double-sized pieces of Trident gum in shape and thickness. But what these fruit sticks lack in surface area, they make up for in flavor—one of the best I’ve tasted in the fruit snack category. Plus, the re-sealable pouch fits snugly in any hoodie hand-warmer, jacket, or back pocket.

YumEarth Organics Sour Pops

Price: $2.20

Why you need it: YumEarth’s sour pops are great because they’re made with real fruit juice, and the four flavors (apple, strawberry, cherry, grape) are equally juicy without any real medicinal notes. (Plus the sour flavor is relatively mild.) The Snack Gawd is not a real lollipop-in-public kind of fellow, but I can see YumEarth’s Sour Pops getting stashed in pockets before movies and the like, then surreptitiously enjoyed when the lights dim.

That's It Apple Mango Bars

Price: $1.50

Why you need it: I first encountered That’s It bars on a visit to Nike’s clandestine Room 72 facility in L.A. many years ago, and I was immediately smitten and mystified as much by the the fruit snacks they offered as the place itself. The bars are 100% raw fruit with no additives. Somehow they are also thick enough to be in bar form and taste much better than your average fruit/protein bar. After sampling a few varieties, Apple Mango is the current top pick. thanks to the sweet-tart flavor profile.

Torie & Howard Pomegranate Tangerine Chewie Fruities

Price: $4.25

Why you need it: I've been saying for some time now that the next wave in candy would be artisanal chews, sours, gummies, and other fruit-flavored cavity producers. Turns out your boy was right, as is exemplified by the company Torie & Howard. Their candies are organic, they don’t use corn syrup (substituting organic brown-rice syrup instead), and they hawk sophisticated flavors like pink grapefruit and tupelo honey, Anjou pear and cinnamon, and pomegranate and nectarine. The last one blends the tart sweetness of everyone’s favorite Middle-Eastern stain maker with the tangy citrus note of tangerine to delicious effect. The candies have the soft chew of a Starburst and a taut outer firmness that tempers your desire to devour them right away.

Gelato Fiasco Maine Wild Blueberry Crisp Gelato

Price: $7.50

Why you need it: If life was fair, we’d all summer in Maine and eat lobster rolls, whoopee pies, and blueberry crisp while enjoying the wilderness’ bounty of sights and sounds. But alas, not everyone can live the high life. And if Maine isn't in the cards this summer, at least you can get a pint of Gelato Fiasco’s Maine Wild Blueberry Crisp, which aims to replicate one of the region's specialties. The product combines vanilla beans from Madagascar with blueberries and oat streusel from Maine to create a creamy, but textured experience that mostly features sweet notes. Although more whole blueberries could generate a nice tart counterpoint, the gelato still conjures memories of the beloved baked dessert, well enough to transport you from your current surroundings to a more blissful, slow existence in one spoonful.

Beauty Sweeties Pomegranate Raspberry Fruit Jelly Hearts

Price: $5.50

Why you need it: German gummies that contain aloe vera and Q10 enzymes? Why is all of this malarkey in my candies, and why don’t they taste like fake lips and derrieres? German engineering, yah? Beauty Sweeties’ jelly hearts have a slight gummy layer of yogurt and a larger gummy layer of fruit flavor, creating a subtle sweet and tangy balance. The gummy is noticeably firmer than your grandpa’s gelatin-based bear, but that’s what happens when you inject your stuff with collagen.

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